Review: Ender's Game (book and movie)

I saw Ender's Game last year with my daughter, mostly because we both love Asa Butterfield after Hugo, but I had not read the famous book it was based on until last week.  Now that I've seen the movie and read the book, I feel I can give a more complete review.

We both loved the movie, and more specifically, Ender, as a character, well beyond our love for Asa, which surprised us.  The character in the movie is one of the most inspirational I've seen in one so young.  He instinctively knows what the right and best thing to do is in every situation, and is able to follow through with the necessary actions more quickly and better than I could ever hope to aspire to myself, though he has not yet reached puberty.  Beyond that, the action kept us consistently involved in the spectacular battle room games, expertly designed and composed (forget Gravity), although all of it takes place in zero gravity.  I'm sure that's one reason the book never made it to screen until now.  Harrison Ford is less doddering than he has been in recent years, which was nice to see, but the talents of The Help's Viola Davis are all but wasted in her antiseptic role as a military advisor. Ben Kingsley, on the other hand seems born to play the ancient and mysterious commander who helps train Ender (hasn't he always had a tribal face tattoo?).  Hailee Steinfeld  was perky as one of Ender's only friends and one of the only girls in battle school, but I keep expecting more from her after her debut in True Grit.  (Side note: She was an early contender after that movie to play Catniss in The Hunger Games, which sounded plausible at the time, but I'm much happier with the way things turned out). Then of course, there's Abigail Breslin, who has come  along way from Little Miss Sunshine to Nim's Island, and my daughter and I have eagerly watched her all the way, but I'm not sure it's in the right direction. She's rather bland these days as she moves into womanhood and tends to blend into the woodwork in this movie as well - fact, I had to go back and add her to this review because I had forgotten about her until just now. I have to say something about Moises Arias, who plays Ender's main bully and one of the more interesting characters in the movie.  He's a former Disney kid, but never fit their typical mold on shows like Hannah Montana.  He's really starting to come into his own as an adult actor and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do.

I know when Ender's Game came out, fans of the book were generally not pleased with the movie and I honestly couldn't figure out why at the time.  Now that I've read the book, I think I have an idea, though I continue to be a fan of both myself.

First, Ender is MUCH younger in the book, though I think Asa is still plenty young enough to make that part of the narrative as effective as it needs to be in the movie.  However, the main complaint that I have is that their is an entire political thread happening back on Earth that takes up much of the second half of the book and really becomes essential to the ending of the entire story.  In the same way that I am now a humble devotee of Ender, the character as written/performed, I was enthralled with the political theories explored in this secondary theme of the book - this part is completely missing from the movie.  So, that is a let down, but it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the movie as separate from the book and I think such a good job was done with the rest of the story, Ender's story, that I am completely satisfied.

I have heard the following books weren't as good as Ender's Game, so I'm not sure if I'm going to read them, because the first book was very complete in itself and the ending was enough for me.  However, I would definitely go see the movie sequels if they ever come to be and I will hope to find more of the political theories brought forth as well.

4 out of 5 stars